Angela Latoya Williams

Angela Latoya Williams | Volunteer for Victims Award
Mothers Against Murderers Association
West Palm Beach, Florida

On January 1, 2003, Angela Williams received a desperate phone call from her sister with the devastating news that her nephew, Torrey, had been murdered. Ms. Williams rushed to the crime scene to provide comfort and emotional support to her grieving sister. This tragic event transformed Angela’s life and became the catalyst for what would become her life’s work for the next 16+ years. 

Knowing that there were other community members, particularly mothers, grieving the deaths of their loved ones, Ms. Williams felt a strong calling to be a comfort to them. She quit her job and created the Mothers Against Murderers Association (MAMA) to minister to the needs and provide solace to families of crime victims in her area. 

As of the summer 2019, Ms. Williams has provided assistance to 444 mothers and families, and has been a beacon of light for her entire community. Her tireless work has earned her admiration by many, including Florida’s 15th Judicial Circuit State Attorney, Dave Aronberg, who values Angela’s “work with the various police departments,” and being, “on-call day and night for more than 16 years … bringing order and comfort to the family of the deceased ... and emotional support and material help” when possible. 

In addition to being on call 24/7 to assist at crime scenes, Ms. Williams coordinates and hosts healing circles, attends and financially supports funerals, works with juveniles who are incarcerated, accompanies families of victims to court, and works on proposed legislation to prevent crime. She also organizes and sponsors many community events throughout the year, including summer programs for siblings of murder victims, school supply collections, an annual Christmas toy drive, Thanksgiving turkey distribution to families in need, and basketball tournaments for children during school breaks. 

Ms. Williams knows the pain that grieving families experience each time she is called to help, as she has personally lost 20 of her own family members to homicide. From these tragedies, Ms. Williams has cultivated a community of broken families, shared their pain, and redirected it toward advocating for a safer Palm Beach County.